Coking retort oven



June 20, 1939. BECKER COKING RETORT OVEN Filed M ay 11,'1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV ENTOR. y `)cnam-e BEcKeP/ J. BECKER 2,163,168

COKING RETORT OVEN Filed May ll, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 June` 20, 1939.

INVENTOR Joseph: BacKEfR/ BY@ ATTORNEY.

J. BECKER l 2,163,168

.COKING RETORT OVEN June 20, 1939.

FiledvMay 411, 193e 4 sheets-sheet 4 y INVENToR Joram-1 Enamel,`

L@ P BY g Patented June 20,l v

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE l "2,163,163 i Comnsroa'r om Joseph' Becker, Pitbbnrgh, Pa., assigner to Koppers'Company, a corporation otDelaware Application May l1, 1,936, Spel-lll No. -'19,085

61313111.,(CLZiB--ISD'..

v'ihe present inventioncomprehendsv improvements loi' general utility in thecolring retort oven art; and comprehends more specifically improvements in the underring systems of such col;- /5 ing retort' Astructures of the well-known Becker cross-over flue type as are` provided with means for introducing the underring gases intovthe heating ue systems according to the well-known' and so-called underjet principle. The cross-over 1o principle of flow of the heatinggases was patentedfin JosephBecker U. S. Patent No. 1,374,54

granted April 21, 1921, and certain features of specific embodiments of that principle, as exemplifled in Joseph Becker U.. S. Patent No. l5 1,904,191, granted April l8, 1933, and my copending application Serial No. 2,564 led January 19, 1935, relate to the instant invention andV improvement, and the latter further improves upon the Joseph Becker Patent 1,704,239, issued 20 March 5 1929, on 'my application filed May 29,

In coking retort oven heating systems embodying the cross-over principle of flowing the'hot combustion-gases from the heating ilues of an 425 oven wall to the 'nues of the oppositewall of the coking chamber, the heating media are introduced into the lower parts of vertically Adisposed fiame ilues and as they rise therethrough are burned. ,The upper lends of the name' flues' I' 30 of the heating walls communicate with horizontally extending flow or bus ducts which also.con.

nect with now ducts or cross-overs lthat extend upwards and overvthe tops of the coking chanr-- bers and direct the products of combustion from 35 the burning name ilues of an oven wall into corresponding horizontalducts and heating ilues in adjacentheating walls.

The cross-over now ducts are positioned at preferred intervals along the horizontal ilow duct 40' thereby providing a plurality of outletsior the gases oi combustion from any heating wall into that opposite-wall with which it is Acommunicably connected for underring purposes. In general said horizontal bus vchannels are each 4,5A divided by at least one division wall at the centrail longitudinal plane of the battery sothai: the` heating-of the flues on the pusher side of the battery do not commingle mth-those of the coke side, thereby providing 'for separately controlling the ilow of gases on both of the coke and pusher ends of the rpective .coke ovens. As the horizontal bus channelsot` are in subdivided into l Y ,..'Ihe-. aforementioned possibility of theoven-walls 55' a larger number of shorter bus channels, each lf -this desired uniformity of heats' in ofA which is supplied with its own cross-over for directing the gases of combustion from one sec- Y,

tion, -of an oven wall into a corresponding sec' tion in the opposite wall as exempliiled' in thev above-mentioned Patent No. 1,904,191, the hori-yzontal path the ilowing gases are to assume is proportionately reduced as the number of subdivisions is increased, with theresult that the vertically rising gas streams in the heating flues are increasingly less deflected from theirlo normal vertical paths, thus simplifying control and regulation of the temperatures in the individual ilues. Increasing the number of crosovers provides an added vadvantage in that the volume of combustion products that must be carriedfby a single cross-over is correspondingly reduced,l with a resulting decrease in the required dimensions' of' these cross-over ducts.

This size reduction also provides the advantage that .the masonry at v'such points may bethick- 20 ened and the solidity of the structureV thereby generallyA improved.

The cross-over type ofconstruction by permitting the employment o i a plurality or outlets `lor the combustion gases flowing from a heating wall into theadjacentone with which it -is communicably connected for under-ming purposes combined with the above-'mentioned sub- 'divided horizontal bus channel,v makes it possible to separate'an oven heating wall into in- 30 dividually operable and regulable zones or belts for 4under-'firing vpurposes'. .That is to say, the coking ovens may be' divided lengthwise of the chambers into a plurality of sections each having its own cross-oven and within each such section preferred regulating and controllingormeasures, may be carried on without unduly disturbing existing conditions in other sectionsof the same wall. This possibility our independent operation y for the plurality of heating sections or zones pro- 40 vides a highly desirable, means for obviating the eilects of those conditions which tend to complicate the maintenance of substantially uniform temperatures at all points of the rather extensive surface, of an oven heating walland inter- 5 Vtere with the uniform progress of the carboniza-- tion reaction through a cal charge. Numerous factors tend` 'tol interfere with-the :is

rality of nues comprising an oven wll,\as for example, the higher radiationlosses !romthe l Vend nues of a wall and the dierence in the thickness and mass of the coal charge at opposite ends of 'an oven. i

may be divided by employing the cross-over flue type of construction, and the obvious'advantages that accrue from such provision, make it apparent that any reilnement and improvement inl the means for introducing the under-firing media into theame ues so that such zones may be effectively regulated and independently controlled Afrom without the battery structure and without disturbing established conditions in other sections of the same wall, will furnish means tending to promote a closer approach to complete independence of such heating wall zones from each other and facilitate the maintenance of more uniform heats throughout a battery structure- In my co-pending application 'S/N 2,564 filed January 19, 1935, is disclosed an improved dis- -position` of the heating iiues to form wall-groups forthe ow of combustion products, said groups being segregated from eachother for that purpose by partition walls in the horizontal bus channel. In the therein disclosed improvement, the gases of combustion iiowing from the vertical heating hues into any horizontal bus channel section are provided with flue ports of such crosssectional area as to offer no throttling or impedance to gas iiow therethrough, and substantially the same length of travel is also provided for all combustion products assembling in the same bus i section and cross-over. All throttling or regulation of the gases flowing into the heating ilues is eifected at their lower parts, so that the ilues comprising any heating wall'section are provided `twith gases at a substantially uniform pressure, and thepresure diiferential between the interior ofthe cking chamber and the heating ues is greatly reduced. In one embodiment of my invention therein disclosed, the underiiring gas is introduced into the iiame ilues according to the underjet principle, and volume iiow of heating gas to individual flame iiues is regulated by means Aof valvfe means positioned near the lower end of each of the richgas conduits that rise through the'regenerator division walls from heating wall distributing headers which also communicate with the main fuel gas supply'artery. Regulation may be effected byl adjustable valves or, if preferred, by orifices placed at' appropriate points in said distributor-headers. The relatively small to establish the desired flow of gases to the heating flues may interfere with the introduction of. suiiicent decarbonizing air, during the reversalperiod', to remove such quantities Y of carbon as maybe deposited in the hot richgas conduits of the-regenerator walls by a cracking of the heavy hydrocarbon components of the underiiring gas. In order to obviate this circumstance,l `I provide in my present improvement means wherebythe gas flow regulating devices for regulating the lvolume of gas flow from the distributor-headers throughthe rich gas conduits vmay be by-passed by the air introduced into the down-flowing flame ilues and through the rich gas supply conduits during those intervals said --conduits are not functioning as underflring gas distributors.

"\ An object -of my-present invention is to provide p an improved; distributingsystem for flowing rich gas to the heating walls of a-battery having the 1 .heating iiu of its heating walls disposed in in-y dividually operative heating groups, as above-.described, so that each such nue-group and its associated oven-wall zone isolated for the underiiring purposes, may be independently regulated and controlled without disturbing established regulations and conditions in the other zones of the same heating wall,'and all ues comprising each such group be assured of a rich gas' supply at a substantially uniform pressure.

A' special object of my invention is the provision of a decarbonizin'g arrangement especially adapted to the rich gas distribution system of my invention and disposed for actuation by the reversing mechanism.

Another object of my invention is to furnish, for the rich gas distribution system of my present invention, regulatory means that are easily accessible from the basement of the battery structure so that the ow of rich gas into the different heating-wall sections of a battery` may be adjusted extraneously of the fiues, said system containing a device assuring a uniform volume of rich gas being delivered into the iiame flues of any wall section from that distribution system.

A further object of my invention is the pro vision of simple and eective means whereby the necessity of employing graduated orifices in the under-jet pipes for the individual flame ues'will be eliminated, saidmeans being designed and adapted to vpermit the flowing of deca'rbonizing air into the rich gas distributing conduits of an under-jet oven without its ingress being restricted 8l The invention has for further objects such other improvements and such other operative advantages or'results as may be found to obtain in the processes or apparatus hereinafter described or claimed. A

According to the preferred embodiment of my improvement, I provide for coke-oven batteries, equipped for underiiring according to the underjet principle, a rich gas distribution system comprising branch mains that communicate with a main rich gas supplying-main and extend along the ceiling of the battery basement crosswise of the oven chambers, each of the similar and similarly positioned and individually operative heating flue groups into which the heating walls of a battery may be divided by employing the cross-over type of construction, being communicably connected with the same, or functionally the same, branch main or header positioned beneath the battery supporting mat and substanr tially along the central crosswise plane of the 'therewith associatedheating-wall zones. Between each branch-header and each of the corresponding multiplicity of separately regulable heating-flue groups, I dispose a gas pressure equalizing-duct or bus channel, which communi,-`

' cates at its lower part with the above-mentioned branch-header, and at its upper part with vertically rising gas ducts that extend through the regenerator division walls to the baseof the vertically disposed heating ues comprising the heating zone. 'I'hese pressure equalivzing bus channels may be variously positioned betweenthe ing ilues, as 'will be hereinafter disclosed. My

' valves and one of the decarbonizing devices eminventiondalso provides valve and valve-reversing means for regulating the ow of rich gas in my improvedv distribution system and a novel method of introducing the decarbonizing air into the under-jet distributor ducts.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and showing for purposes of exemplication a lpreferred apparatus and method .in which the invention may be embodied and practised but without limiting the claimed invention specifically to suchwillustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 is a composite vertical section transversely of a battery built according to my present invention; the section to the left being taken through the heating flues and that to the right .through the coking chamber;

method of embodying the principle of my inven- Figure 4 is a vertical section along the line IV-IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of one of the gas ployed to respectively\introduce the underfiring gas and decarbonizing air into the gas pressure equalizers of my invention; I

Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment of my invention and a disposition of the pressure equalizers in respect of a heating-gas distributorh-eader, which permits an entire oven wall being supplied with heating gas from the same distributor;

Figure 7 is Aan enlarged view along the line VII- VII of Figure 6 showing a means of introducing the decarbonizing air into therich gas conduits of underjet ovens according to my improved method.

Referring now to Figure 1 showing a preferred embodiment of my invention, the coking chamber llll is one of any preferred number of horizontal oven chambers lying side-by-side and alternately disposed between the heating walls II to form a battery of the same. The opposite ends of each oven are closed during the coking period by means of removable doors I2, and the coal to be carboniz'ed is charged into the oven .through charging-holes I3 .provided in the top of the'battery for this purpose. The heating walls II vare maintained at the desired temperature for effecting the distillation of the coal charge by burning, within the flame flues Il, rich gas flowed through the distributing branch-headers I5, the regulating valve means I6, the equaliz- Y ing bus channel l1 and the rich gas conduits I8 positioned in the walls- I 9 which separate, from each other, the side-by-side heating wall cross regeneratorsthat extend transversely of the battery its entire length. The rich under-ring gas rising under slight pressure through'the conduits I8 ows into the up-burning flame fluesv 20 by means of the sole-flue ducts 24; In the `regeneratcrs, the combustion air is pre-heated and distributed to theindividual ilame flues through the conduits and the ports 26 situated at their upper ends. The pre-heated gas and air burn in the ilues 'I4 and evolve heat which is conducted through the chamber walls II to the coal charge. 'Ihe products of the combustion reaction rise through the flame iiues and assemble in the horizontal'bus channels 21 and flow upward through the cross-overs 28 over the tops of the ovens and into the corresponding fiame flues in the opposite heating walls of the oven chambers. At preferred intervals the ow of gases in the battery under-firing system is reversed and the up-burning flame ues become the down-flowing ones upon reversal of the regenerative system. This reversal of flow is effected by proper adjustments on the valves I6 and the air-flow boxes (not shown) controlling the volumes of air entering the regenerator solechannels 23.

As will be noted the heating lues I4 comprising each heating wall and which, in the present embodiment of my invention, all operate simultaneously either as up-fiowing or down-flowing flame fiues, are disposed into groups or sets of four for gas-flow purposes, with the exception of the two ues at both ends of a coking chamber which. are disposed'in pairs, by means of the partition walls 29, which separate the horizontal bus channel 2l into a plurality of shorter channels, each provided with its own cross-over. In

lthis manner the plurality of vertically disposed heating flues along the wall of an oven is divided into a series of individually operable and regulable heating flue-groups, adjacent the oven charge, which are individually adjustable to permit establishing zones or belts of heating in which' thermal .units may be liberated in correspondence with the different heat requirements of the divers quantities of coal found at various points along the oven chambers from the coke-side to the pusher-side, and in which the different heat losses` average radiation losses, may be compensated for.

It will be also noted that the alternate flue- Walls of each group of four ilues are flared at their upper terminals to provide ue ports, for porting into the horizontal bus channel, which are of suiiicient cross-sectional area in relation to the flue cross-sectional area to offer no significant obstacle to gas flow, and to establish a substantially equal flow-path for all the-gases of said flue-group in their transit through the vertical fluesl and horizontal flow duct to the communicably connected cross-over.

It is a well-known fact that the total pressure exerted by gases flowing through a conduit therefor comprises two components, the velocity and the static pressure. In a conduit closed at one end and provided with lateral off-takes for the gases, the total Agas pressure remains the same along the length of the conduit but the component pressures vary, i. e. as the distance from the gas-supplying end increases, the velocity head l diminishes and the satic head increases. The static head is `that which causes the gases to ow from the provided lateral orices, and if these orifices are all of uniform size it is obvious that increasingly larger volumes of gas will be discharged therefrom as their distancesfrom the inlet end of the conduit is increased.

It is furthermore obvious in consequence of CTI this fact that the heretofore common practice in the art of introducing the under-flring gas into all the heating iiues comprising each heating wall from a single distributing header for that wall, extending cross-wise of the battery and communicating at its one end with a single main rich gas supplying main, has required individual valve means for each flue connected therewith so that the diierences in static pressure in the single distributor-header beneath each flue, may be compensated for to the end of obtaining preferred temperatures in the various flues along the wall.

By means of my improvement, in which I divide the heating flues of a heating wall into a plurality of ue groups independently operable for gas flow purposes, and inter-pose a pressure equalizing bus channel between the distributorheader and the rich gas conduits of theflues of each group, the influence of the above-mentioned changes in static pressure can be substantially reduced since any one of the rich gas conduits of the battery is a comparatively short distance removed from the gas inlet port of an equalizing header and the small number of rich gas conduits' leading therefrom will consequently carry rich gas at substantially uniform static pressure. My invention also makes possible a significant reduction in the number of Valve means required to give the preferred rich gas distribution to the heating walls of a battery. Referring again to Figure 1, the branchheaders I5, extending longitudinally of the battery and connected with a gas-main that communicates with the rich gas supply reservoir, are provided with vertically extending riser pipe connections 30 at intervals, along their lengthwise dimension, corresponding to the centre-to-centre distance between the opposite heating flues of -an oven,v The pipes 30 port into the equalizingv busses I1 at about their central point, and the four rich gas conduits I8, segregated by means of the horizontal bus channel division walls 29, and adapted to supply heating gas to the four heating ues comprising a heating ue group, are disposed pair-wise on cach side of the juncture of pipe 30 with its equalizer II.

Due to the static pressure equalizing effect of the equalizer bus I'I, gas entering said bus from the distributor-header I5 through the valve means I6, will rise through the communicably connected conduits I8 of any one flue group at substantially uniform static pressure irrespect'ive of the static pressure obtaining in said distributor-header up-stream of the valve I6, or its relative position or remoteness from the main gas supply line for the battery. Not only does` my invention provide for a uniform flow of underring gas to the heating ilues of any one flue group but it also furnishes means whereby all correspondingly positioned ue groups of a battery, which have substantially the same heat requirements in consequence of similar oppor-` tunities forradiation and equivalent masses of coal adjacent thereto for coking, may be supplied with underring gas from the same distributorheader I5. Such disposition of the distributorheaders makes it possible to raise or lower the temperature in any particular oven wall zone or in all similarly positioned oven wall zones of a battery Without disturbing or altering satisfactorily established temperatures in other flue groups of the battery. For example, the volumes of `underflring gas flowing to the end flues of a batterys walls may be simply and effectively a1- ume of gas flowing therethrough. The preci-r sion of valve adjustment demanded in the case where one valve aperture regulates the flow of underring gas to a plurality of flues is not so great as in those instances having individual valve means for each flue, since,.-in the former instance, any irregularities in the volume of gas flowing through the valve means will be distributed over a plurality of flues instead of into a single flue and in consequence my system serves as a significant protection against the danger of fluxing the heating flues by any irregularities of heating gas distribution,

Furthermore, my invention, by providing means for distributing fuel gas into the heating flues of a heating wall according to the requirements of the different sections of the wall, eliminates the tedious and expensive operation of graduating and setting the gas port nozzles to effect the same end. In my system, therefore, the

nozzles 26 at the base of the ues may all have apertures of the same dimension.

A'special feature of the above-described specific form of my invention is that the pressure equalizing bus channel I1 eliminates the need of individual means for regulating the flow of gas to each of the vertical rich gas conduits I8. Gases owed through the valve I6 will be substantially uniformly distributed to all heating flues communicating therewith and without further regulating means being required, with the result that these conduits are unobstructed throughout their entire length by any restrictions and are capable of carrying significantly larger volumes of gases than are ordinarily required for heating purposes.

In consequence of these facts my system offers improved advantages for the decarbonizing process. The substantial and unobstructed crosssectional area of the conduits I8 makes it possible to introduce therein larger quantities of air for burning out any carbon deposited by the cracking of the heating gas iiowing therethrough than is the case where restrictions are required in each conduit to effect the desired regulation of the heating gas.

As a further feature of my invention; I may vary the pressure at which the fuel gas is supplied to corresponding heating flue groups of a coking structurev by inserting valve means between the main,rich gas supply main and the various therewith communicating branch headers I5 as at some point as A in Figure 2.

As hereinbefore mentioned, the gas pressure elqualizing channels for the flue groups into which the heating ues of an oven wall may be divided for gas flow purposes so that each heating wall is divided into a plurality of separately operable and regulable heating zones, may be provided outside the battery brickwork as hereinabove described, but may be also contained within the brickwork of the battery structure.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 such an alarcaica tei-native embodiment of my instant invention is shown. In this speciilc form, thepressure equal.

ming-channels, for any wall, takethe form of a discontinuous horizontal channel located in the brickwork in the tops of the pillar walls Il.

Each section I0, into which such discontinuous .horizontal channel in partitioned forms 'a gas pressure equallzing channel for each of the ue groups into which a'heating wall is divided. For;

each heating flue of a group thereof, a short ver tical duct 4i extends from its channel Il into fthe. base of the ue. The distributor-headersv I5 are each connected with a channel .lli by means ing principle and decreasing the opportunity for the development of 'gas leaks into the regener .ators from said conduits. An added advantage in this form of my inventionis that fewer conduits need be maintained in gas-tight condition.'

my 'invention ne hereinabove diseiesed. and illustrated by specificI forms it may assume to realinev the advantages therebyoifered, also lends i itreif especially te a preetieei rimpiii'ieatidnand 'Y tnrer rnd under nenoxidizing conditions, to tne improvement in the method and means employed to'introduce decarbonizingair into those channels fuel-gases, at elevated tempera@ name nues of a coking retort battery structure according to the underjetprinciple.

It is well known that gases of relatively high '-caloriiic value, when flowed through channels maintained at elevated temperatures. suii'er a,

certain degree of -py'rogenetic decomposition,

more especially of the complex higher molecular' weight components thereof, to'deposit in such channels nuantities of carbon which must be reimoved lest the available cross-sectionalarea of said channels forges 'ilow become inc f n It has heretofore been a common practice to distribute theheatlng gas totheup-burning namenues of an oven heating wall of an underjet battery through a branchrhea'der paralleling said -wall and located in the battery bi'iseinent. Fuel grr'wu' mowed into' and nnen-herder by means 'of a reversing valve located ,at the -Junction of the branch-header withits fuelgli Supply' line. The prefen'edauantityof fuel gas was dise tributedtothinl-burninghame tiuethrougha .nieta inthe-wwwmain.;

dividually connecting each. ilueiwith' the branch-header. The cock' was of" `the'tliree-way type and so disposedas decarbonizlng air into the branch-head `rerui'tir er the preferred forni thereof and does vthose intervals anyihsme'dues were;v

` asdown-flowing'ues. saidLair beingdrawnfinto the branch-header atthe reversing cock bythe.` streit draft. 'rms arranrement required that nu r decarbonizlng air for burning out carbon deposited inthe rich gasconduits within` the regeneratorxwalla. was of necessity distributed vthrough the adore-mentioned gas regulating.

orifices. Buch orifices werereiatively small and the `quantity ofair reaching the rich gas conduits for was limited bythe sizeof' the orifices required to deliver the preferred quantities'of 'fuel tb ltI'uYfIii-lne nues. It Awill be appreciated that as the heating .value 'of `a. fuel duce the preferred temperatures in the heating flues; and other thingsbeing equal, the area of the apertures in the flow regulatingoriflces will of necessity be reduced. It is well-known that fuel gases of the higher calorlflc values contain higher proportions .of carbon compounds having.

aqcomple'x structure than fuel gases vof lower heating value, [and that such compounds are more sensitive to disruption by high temperatures to deposit elemental carbon. As a result there-- fore, for thoseunderiiring gases most inclined to air that een be made available to the underliningr .yield relatively more deposition of carbon in the distributing conduits, smaller .orices are required for their preferred regulation.- 'I'his situation has the effect of decreasing the amountv of -15 system, foi-the purpose of burning out said car-v bon deposits, when it' is desirable that such quantity be increased.

My instant invention which'provides gas pressure equaliaing channels-between the distributorheader and the group of heating ilue's provided with fuel gas thereby, sothat theheating fiues. comprising any group thereof. may all be supplied with heating gas at substantiallyv uniform.

by employing only one valve means forv each il'ue group. adapts itself especially to. Aan ini-# proved method of introducing decarbonizing air. into the flame ue 'rich gas conduits in va manner 'to obviate -the above-described limitatlon'of air I f My-improved method and means of introducing 4 decarbo'nizinginto-an underjet oven com'- prises prov'ldlng,'in.the vertical. riser connecting a distributor-header with a group of heating nues,

a portjmeans positioned down-stream of heating: gas regulating means, which be intermittently l opened or closedto respectively allow air to ow into the underilring system from the atmosphere tioned position will' be more obvious: It shouldbe"mentioned at this point that Figure 6 shows a form of my invention somewhat modied from the embodiment thereof shown in Figure 1. In

the Figure 6, AI .have'oriented the distributorheaders that extend from the main rich gas supplying main in such manner that they extend parallel-with the heating wens, and .between said headers and the heating flue groups pt such now. By referring to Figures o into which the oven wallis divided, I have placed 'thegaspresnlreequalisingchannelsthatsupply the individual nue groups. The resultI is thatI supplythe plurality ofdue'groups of anyone heating wall with heating gas .from the same distributor-header instead of, as shown in the modineetion in Figure 1, supplying all the similai-Iy positioned flue groups of a battery-from the This alternative embodiment of saine header. my,improvement `occasions the 4stime practical not from the spirit and intent of that ini- -rigure e snowsinrcnematiediagramtms alten.

native means ofexploiting my improvement and Figure-'1 is an enlarged'vi'ew'of'the line VII- VII pipe i2' and the distributor-header I3; through the latter, heating gas is cross-.wise of the underril I 70 into the riser f decarbonizing air to'be flowed into rich gas conbattery and length-wise of each-oven wall.` Comllame ues of an oven wall through the reversing cock 5I and at such times as thefairf ports 51 of boxes 56 are opened to the battery basement atmosphere by raising' the air port cover- 58. 'I'he handles 59 of the port cover actuating mechanisms are` attached to 'the rods- 60, which are disposed to open or close the covers-5 8: at such times as the reversing 'cock 5I has been respectively closed or opened to underiiringY gasfiOW.

I'he height to which the air port covers/are raised controls the quantity of air Vflowing into vthe associated equalizing channels, and it is obvious that .this improvement which permits the duits down-stream of the regulating orifices 55, not only facilitates the introduction of such air into the underring system but also assures ample quantities thereof reaching the rich gas conduits unimpeded by line restrictions. Any air.

, in the regenerator division walls, for flowing unintroduced into the pressure equalizers Awillbe substantially equally distributedY to all rich gas conduits communicating therewith.

It is of obvious importance ,that a 'gas tight seal should be formed when the air port cover 58 closes the port 51, in order to prevent the escape of fuel gasinto the batteryfpasement.;

My invention as hereinabove vset fprth'is embodied in particular form and'manner but may be variously embodied within the claims hereinafter made. y

1. In a coking retort oven battery, in combination: a plurality .of side-by-sidejcoking chambers; heating walls'between andadjacent thereto and each comprising vertically` disposed heatscope ci. the

ing tlues; crcss-regenerators beneath the heating walls separatedby division walls and adapted to communicate with the heating ilues; conduits,

preheated gas intof-the lower parttoflthe heating flues, each such conduits passing downward through-the battery supportingmat to connect with a fuel gas distribution1 system located in passageways beneath said mat; accessiblemeans for regulating the' fiow of heating gas from the distribution system therefor into the conduits within the .regenerator walls; and means for introducing decarbonizing air into the regenerator wall conduits, said `means beingl positioned in the fuel gas distributionsystem at points downstream of distributor-headers, said. accessiblevv` means for regulating the fuel gas flow to said conduits and heating iiuesvbeing so disposed relative to the means for decarbonizing air that the decarbcnizing air-may be introduced into the conduits without restriction'by the lgas regulat-v 2. In a coking retort oven battery having vertically disposed llame heating-nues in' heating walls that are arranged intermediately and laterally of coking chambers, the heating ilues vof the walls being operatively disposed in individuvertical ilues in each heating wall with the hori- Afrontal iiow'ductmeans-of a group of vertical iiues similarly positioned in another heating wall,

4below the battery supporting mat, a pressure ally 'regulable groups of nues for gas flow purposes, and regenerators forA the flues of` each heating wall separated from each other by division walls contiguous to regenentors adjacent each other, valveless individual conduits in the 5 -regenerator division walls for iiowing rich gas individually to the4 respective flame iiues from ,a rich gas distribution system-thereforlocated in accessible passageways beneath the supporting Y mat of the battery, a bus channel individualto each flame flue group and each communicating with thevalveless individual conduits for the ues of the group, a distributionsystem in the accessible passageway comprising at least one distributor header with conduit means comprising leader conduits each of which is individual to and adapted to flow gas to but one group of the heating iiue groups Aand communicably con nected with the bus channel for the -valveless con-.1,

duits of the fiues of the group for which the leader conduit is individualized, volume-control valve-means in 'therespective leader conduits for regulating the volume of gas flowl therethrough 1 to their respective bus-channels, and decarbonizing air-inlet valve-means for the respective leader conduits, the decarbonizlng air-inlet-valve means for each leader conduit being communicably connected therewith between volume-control valve-means therefor and the bus-channel thereof. y

3. In a coking retort oven battery, in combination: heating walls comprising verticalA llame heating flues spaced intermediately of coking chambers, the heating walls. tapering in such manner that-the mass of coal to be coked per unit of wall area increases `from one side to the other of the battery, and the heating flues, in the respective heating walls, being operatively dis-' posed for gas flow in individually regulable groups along each half of each heating'wall with the respective groups in each heating wall positioned similarly to the like groups in the other heating walls and groups in similar positions similar to each other, horizontal i'low duct means communicably connecting the 'iiues of each group' with each other at their upper parts, and cross over flue means communicably 'connecting' the horizontal ow duct means for each group of there being a cross overflueljduct individual to the respective-individual grgups of flues cross' connectedby the horizontal'giiow duct means and crossl overlfiue-'m'eans therefonregenerators, separated by division walls, .biiw the-coking chambers and 'heating walls and communicably connected with the vertical nesting nues thereof at their lower parts, individual 'richgas supply conlduits in said regenerator division walls individual to the vertical'iiues for individuallysupplyingrich gas thereto at their lower parts,.from a distribution system in an accessible 1 :w: eway therefor equalizer channel-foreach of the iiue groups,- each equalizer channel being communicably connected with the richgas supply conduits f or its group of vertical vflues andv being individual thereto, a distribution system in the accesible passageway for distributing rich gas to the flue groups, said system comprising at least one distributor header provided with leader conduit means 'comprising leader conduits each of which is individual to a single one of the flue groups and communicably connects vthe equalinr chan- ,7 5

nel or only its i'iue group with the distributor header, -and an individual volume regulating means individual to each individual ilue group, the individual volume regulating-means for each group being located in the individual leader conduit that is individual to that flue group, for regulating the volume -of flow from the distributor vheader to each of the respective ilue groups individually. i lo 4. A coke oven battery as-claimed in claim 3,

and in which separate distributor-headers areprovided for each of the rows of groups of fiues that are similarly positioned in the several heating walls, each separate distributor-header bevt5 ing individualized to only asingle row of correspondingly positionedgroups of ilues in several heating walls forsupply thereto of heating gas independently of the supply of other rows of groups in different positions in the heating wall. o 5. A coke oven battery as claimed in claim 3, and in-which a separate distributing header is provided for each heating wall extending substantially parallel therewith crosswise of the bat- 'tery and each separate distributing header being 5 individual to the groups of fiues in a single heating wall only. I

6. In a coking retort oven battery, in combination: heating walls comprising vertical llame heating ues spaced intermediately of coking m chambers, the heatingv walls tapering in such manner that the mass of coal to be coked per unit oi' wall area increases from one side to the other of the battery, and the heating ilues. in the 'respective heating walls, being operatively dis- |5 posed for gas flow in groups along each half of each heating wall with the groups in each heating wall positioned similarly to those in theother heating walls and groups in similar positions similar to each other, horizontal now duct means m communicably connecting the nues of each group walls individual to the vertical ues for individually supplying rich gas thereto at their lower parts, from a distribution system in an accessible passagewaytherefor below the battery supporting mat, a pressure equalizer channel for each of the flue groups. eachequallzer channel being communicably connected with the rich gas supply conduits for its group of vertical ilues andbeing individual thereto, a distribution system in the accessible passageway for distributing rich -gas to the ilue groups, said system Acomprising at least one distributor header provided with leader conduit means comprising leaderv conduits each of which is individual to one of the ilue groups 2|,y

a'nd communicably connects the `equalizer channel of its ilue group with the distributor header, and volume regulating means in each of the individual leader conduits for regulating the volumeof flow from the distributor header to the respective ilue groups individually, and in which 'the rich gas conduits are valveless conduits Iand in which a decarbonizing airv valve is provided for each ilue group, the decarbonizing'air valves for each flue group being provided in the leader cong5 duit therefor and located therein between the equalizer channel for the ilue group and the 4voly'irme-regulating means for theilue group.

JOSEPH BECKER. 40 

